Linux Crashes the Mobile Party

superglaze writes "ZDNet.co.uk has a fairly comprehensive feature on the progress being made by Linux for cellphones. Seems a pretty consumer deal for now, but there are some interesting hints of Linux eventually challenging Windows Mobile and Symbian in business use. The article also seems to suggest that the two big groups pushing mobile Linux could be amenable to a merger due to common interests."

Comments

Gartner Analysts

[Anonymous Coward]

Gartner analyst Nick Jones has a more objective stance but he agrees that the platform is not yet consistent or standardised enough to be a serious proposition. "I would advise IT managers not to have anything to do with mobile Linux at this point in time," says Jones. "Imagine I'm an IT manager contemplating standardising on a mobile platform. I want something rich enough to deliver applications, that's available from multiple manufacturers, offering a decent range of handsets with corporate features. Linux just falls down on all of those."

Is there ever a time when Gartner Analysts think Linux is ok? And of course the recommendation is to not have anything to do with Linux... I mean you wouldn't actually want to get in there and help make it "rich enough to deliver applications" that'd just be silly. Did this guy have the same criticism of Windows Mobile 1.0?

Re:Could this be...

[Ajehals]

You can do most of that now, My PDA's run Linux (familiar), My routers run Linux (Open Embedded), my 'stereo' runs Linux (Debian) my computers run Linux (Debian again) and my media centre runs Linux (Debian yet again). Its a really nice set up. NFS all round so file access, streaming media and internet radio (now using deezer) is possible anywhere. Best of all is that the PDA's are effectively universal remote controls, Wake on LAN means I can turn on and off any device from literally anywhere in the world (which can be fun if I want to confuse the missus or the kids). The next step is for me to get a stable VPN working properly so that I can have even more remote access (I currently use SSH via my mobile, or via my PDA + mobile). Connectivity is wired for anything non portable, WiFi for the portable kit (although one of the PDA's is blue tooth only) Mobile, generally 3G, when I am on the road (via blue tooth so no cables or having to actually look at my phone). So all I need now is a Linux phone (which I will get when my current phone breaks) to complete the set. It is interesting and extremely useful, some bizarre possibilities also become available, like using a PDA as a baby monitor, or using a web cam in our office to check if I left a document on the desk (and then grabbing a soft copy from home and printing it where ever I happen to be.

Incorrect quote...

[Bert64]

I find the following quote from the article quite misleading:

"Imagine I'm an IT manager contemplating standardising on a mobile platform. I want something rich enough to deliver applications, that's available from multiple manufacturers, offering a decent range of handsets with corporate features. Linux just falls down on all of those."

The point of "that's available from multiple manufacturers", while a very valid point, surely linux is the only one that really is available from multiple manufacturers.
With symbian or windows mobile, you may be able to get the hardware from multiple vendors, but your stuck with a single vendor for the software. With linux, as the article states, there are at least 2 groups pushing mobile linux, and multiple hardware manufacturers also rolling their own.

The freedom of being able to buy your hardware from multiple vendors doesn't is far less of an advantage if you only have one vendor to buy the software from, whereas the freedom to obtain both hardware and software from multiple vendors is a huge benefit to the purchaser.